Netanyahu says the sacrifices make Independence Day possible

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak sent their condolences to families of fallen soldiers Tuesday. Netanyahu highlighted his personal feelings of loss — his brother was killed in the Entebbe rescue — while Barak said Israel’s struggle for existence was not over, but that the “dream of peace” must be kept alive.

Netanyahu said Memorial Day was a personally significant day for him — referring to brother Yonatan, fatally wounded when commanding a platoon of elite soldiers in the 1976 hostage rescue mission in Uganda.

He said that Memorial Day and Independence Day share an “unbreakable bond” and that those who fell during Israel’s wars did not fall in vain. They were fulfilling a “heartfelt duty,” vital to the nation, he said. On this day, the nation puts aside disagreements, and stands as one with the bereaved families, he said.

“Thanks to them, the state arose… and thanks to them the members of the younger generation will also be able to live their lives in security and tranquility,” he added.

In a letter to the families of fallen soldiers, Barak wrote “Israel is morally indebted to the bereaved families. Our struggle for existence is not over… And your pain is the pain of the entire nation.”

Israel still faces major challenges, Barak added, and will do everything possible to meet them.

He urged the families “not to give up the dream of peace.”

This year, Israel remembers 22,993 fallen soldiers. (© 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL 04/24/12)